Digital Photo - Scanners

A Swedish company has plans for a wearable camera-app combination allowing customers to automatically capture "every moment" of their lives-- the Memoto, a lifelogging device the size of a postage stamp.

The little device carries a 5MP camera, a GPS and an accelerometer. It clips onto clothing and automatically takes a photo (complete with timestamp and GPS position log) every 30 seconds.

A micro USB port allows recharging and connection to PC.

Once connected to PC the camera uploads photos to the Memoto Web Service and Android/iOS app. The web service and app organise photos into "moments" based on GPS, time, accelerometer and light levels in order to create an easily searchable "photographic memory."

Fujitsu subsidiary PFU launches the ScanSnap S1300i-- now able transfer scans directly to either mobile devices or cloud storage services.

The ScanSnap Folder application connector streamlines scanning to 3rd party applications, sending scans to wifi-connected Android and iOS devices, as well as services such as Evernote, Google Docs, Dropbox, SurgarSync and Salesforce.

The scanner features scanning speeds of up to 12 pages per minute (A4, colour, 150 dpi) or 24 images in duplex mode. It features Continue reading...

None of your customers' DSLRs are a match against what a team at Duke Unversity, Durham, has built using off-the-shelf electronics-- the AWARE-2, a camera able to shoot 1000-megapixel (or one gigapixel) pictures.

Described in scientific magazine Nature, the AWARE-2 consists of 98 identical 14-megapixel microcameras looking through a single large spherical lens. Each microcamera uses own optics and runs independent autofocus and exposure algorithms, before an image processor stitches together 98 Continue reading...

Sometimes an idea is crazy enough to might actually work-- like the Socialmatic, a concept for an Instagram-powered digital Polaroid camera from Antonio De Rosa.

For those of you not in the know, Instagram is a smartphone camera app for iPhones and Androids. It turns regular digital snaps into "artsy" vintage-style photos, with a number of filters emulating classic film cameras (chiefly Polaroid instant cameras).

The Socialmatic proposal looks fairly interesting-- it suggests the camera should have 2 main lenses (one for main capture, the other for 3D filters, webcam applications and QR code capturing), a touchscreen interface, 16GB of storage and wifi/Bluetooth connectivity.

PlanOn System Solutions launches the ScanStik-- a pen-sized full page colour scanner the company claims is the smallest in the world.

Describing it as "an office in the pocket," PlanOn says the ScanStik scans a whole page at once-- just like a flat-bed scanner, only without the bulk, with a "click and scan" function scanning a full page in just 4 seconds.

Is it an Android phone with a Polaroid camera module, or a Polaroid camera with an Android phone inside? CES 2012 attendees were left with that dilemma when Polaroid revealed the SC1630 Android HD Smart Camera.

In simple words, the SC1630 is the fusion of digital camera and Android smartphone-- a 16MP point-and-shooter carrying a micro SIM slot and 850/1900/2100MHz WCDMA and 850/900/1800/1900 GSM radios, together with wifi, Bluetooth, GPS and FM radio connectivity.

The iPad 2 might have a camera, but it is a pretty terrible one-- which is why the Disney-branded Sakar AppClix camera might make an interesting purchase for your customers.

It attaches to the tablet via Apple 30-pin port and works with a free Disney Pix app. Specification-wise, it has a 7.1MP camera (with 4X zoom), a microSD card slot and a 1.5" LCD display for photo previews.

The app allows basic editing and the addition of Disney-themed graphics to photos, as well as picture transfer to email Continue reading...

Your customers might find good use for a portable scanner-- which is where the Doxie Go self-contained scanner comes in.

The Doxie Go is battery powered (doing 100 scans on a single charge) and carries expandable built-in storage saving up to 600 pages or 2400 photos. It scans at 600dpi resolution, with automatic contrast, rotation and cropping functions.

GoPro announces its next generation of action cameras-- the Hero4, reportedly the highest performance camera lineup from the company, with three options to suit all price points.
The flagship camera is... Read more